


Superpowers are Useless Against Teenagers

by tarradiddle



Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Mentors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-01
Updated: 2012-11-01
Packaged: 2017-11-17 13:03:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/551862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarradiddle/pseuds/tarradiddle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Written for comicdrabbles prompt: Gasp)</p>
<p>Clark doesn’t know how to respond to Kara lately, she's always angry and on edge. Luckily he has a friend with some experience with kids.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Superpowers are Useless Against Teenagers

A flash of light, and Supergirl slammed against the training room wall hard enough to dent the panels.  
  
Watching from the control booth, Clark let out a sudden gasp of worry, and fierce blue eyes flashed to his. Pushing off from the wall, dodging the next fusillade of laser blasts, Kara muttered, “You could let someone else watch my practice, you know.”  
  
“I’m not letting anyone else-” Clark began indignantly, but Kara finished running the sequence and headed for the door. He switched to the intercom instead of trusting to super-hearing. “Kara, come back, I want to talk to you.” She vanished into the showers without a word.  
  
Later, in the commissary, Clark tried to be covert as he kept an eye on Kara. _Why has she been impossible lately?_ Every time he spoke to her it seemed that every word turned out wrong. Currently she seemed absorbed in a spirited conversation with Fire, Ice and Gypsy.  
  
“Not a good idea.”  
  
Clark turned to find Batman at his elbow. “What?”  
  
“Pushing now. Just walk away.”  
  
Clark bristled, and snapped out: “I don’t recall asking for, or needing, _your_ advice.”  
  
“Hmph.” Batman swept out.  
  
Clark looked back to the table of laughing super-heroines in time to catch Kara glaring daggers at him again. Okay, maybe Bruce is right, maybe he should back off. _How in the world did he know... oh. Right._  
  
Clark tracked down Bruce in one of the medlabs, running tests on a hallucinogen Booster Gold had brought in. He held out fresh coffee as a peacemaking gesture. Batman accepted the cup without a word, just an inquiring glance.  
  
“Sorry,” Clark said. “Guess I forgot who I was talking to for a minute there.” Bruce snorted at him, which he took as an invitation to go on. “Kara’s just been so angry lately. Reckless, too. I worry about her, but she seems to take that as a challenge, and just gets angrier at me, pushes harder.”  
  
“She’s a teenager, Clark.”  
  
“I know that-”  
  
“And she’s the youngest person on the League, probably on the whole Watchtower.”  
  
Clark absorbed that for a moment. “Well, yes...”  
  
Bruce turned back to his microscope, but kept talking. “So she’s trying to prove that she isn’t here due to nepotism, that she’s good enough to be on the team, and you sabotage that every time you wince when she goes down.”  
  
“But I care about her.”  
  
“Of course you do.” Bruce fiddled with the dials. “But part of caring about her is letting her feel that you _trust_ her to be good enough. You can’t prove that with words. Be there to catch her if she needs it, but she’ll never get good enough for the League if she doesn’t think you have confidence in her.”  
  
“That...actually makes sense.”  
  
Bruce snorted again.  
  
“No, really. I’ll back off, ask Diana to help her with training. Thanks.”  
  
Batman shrugged, but added, “Barbara keeps asking when she’s coming by.”  
  
Clark grinned. “I’ll pass that along too.”


End file.
